U.S. House Will Investigate the Federal Government’s Censorship of Conservatives
The U.S. House of Representatives now has a Republican majority with new priorities, and one of the first things the House approved in its first official week of business was the formation of a new subcommittee to investigate what it calls the “weaponization of the federal government,” to be chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.
The 13-member subcommittee, comprised of eight Republicans and five Democrats, will investigate concerns that the FBI, the U.S Department of Justice (DOJ) and other federal agencies have attempted to silence conservative families and pro-life Americans for political reasons.
Here are just a few of the past incidents which sparked the concerns the committee will investigate:
- DOJ targeted conservative Americans for investigation whose only suspicious behavior was showing up at public school board meetings around the country to object to the woke policies their children were being subjected to. DOJ backed away from its position after widespread public condemnation.
- The Department of Homeland Security attempted to set up a “disinformation governance board” to combat speech contrary to Administration policies.
- DOJ arrested over a dozen pro-life sidewalk counselors for peacefully expressing their pro-life views at abortion facilities in 2021-2, but has not made a single arrest in the over 200 incidents of abortion terrorism directed at the nation’s churches, pregnancy resource centers, and other pro-life organizations since the leaked Supreme Court decision in Dobbs decision last May presaged the fall of Roe v. Wade.
- The FBI in particular has been identified as influencing social media companies like Twitter to censor conservative voices.
Rep. Jordan, in a floor speech, said the purpose of the subcommittee is to protect the First Amendment.
“I’d actually hoped we could get bipartisan agreement on protecting the First Amendment. The five rights we enjoy as Americans under the First Amendment,” Jordan said. “Your right to practice your faith, your right to assemble, right to petition the government, freedom of the press, freedom of speech. Every single one’s been attacked in the last two years.”
Then he focused on the right of free speech, addressing the arrests of pro-life activists recently.
“This idea that if you’re a pro-life activist, you’re gonna get your door kicked in, you’re gonna get arrested and handcuffed in front of your seven kids and your spouse for simply praying in front of an abortion clinic and telling the guy who was harassing your son to knock it off,” Jordan stated.
“You’re gonna have the FBI raid your home, but the protests that went on at Supreme Court Justices’ homes in the aftermath of the leak of the Dobbs opinion, oh, no problem there,” he added.
“Americans are sick and tired of it,” Jordan continued. “We don’t want to go after anyone. We just want it to stop, and we want to respect the First Amendment to the Constitution that the greatest country in the world has.”
Americans are entitled to a federal government that enforces the laws of this country evenhandedly and with respect for the First Amendment rights of all Americans. Hopefully the scrutiny this House subcommittee will provide results in a necessary course correction for the agencies involved, while sending a message to the rest of the federal employees across the nation’s government that they serve us, not one particular political ideology.
Photo from Shutterstock.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bruce Hausknecht, J.D., is an attorney who serves as Focus on the Family’s judicial analyst. He is responsible for research and analysis of legal and judicial issues related to Christians and the institution of the family, including First Amendment freedom of religion and free speech issues, judicial activism, marriage, homosexuality and pro-life matters. He also tracks legislation and laws affecting these issues. Prior to joining Focus in 2004, Hausknecht practiced law for 17 years in construction litigation and as an associate general counsel for a large ministry in Virginia. He was also an associate pastor at a church in Colorado Springs for seven years, primarily in worship music ministry. Hausknecht has provided legal analysis and commentary for top media outlets including CNN, ABC News, NBC News, CBS Radio, The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe and BBC radio. He’s also a regular contributor to The Daily Citizen. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Illinois and his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law. Hausknecht has been married since 1981 and has three adult children, as well as three adorable grandkids. In his free time, Hausknecht loves getting creative with his camera and capturing stunning photographs of his adopted state of Colorado.